Steeleville BOE approves new personnel, board member

As the upcoming school year approaches, the Steeleville District 138 Board of Education approved a number of personnel items on Monday during its regular July meeting.

The board approved Tim Mitchell as the new board member to replace Aaron Fiene, who stepped down to become the Steeleville High School boys basketball coach. Mitchell's appointment is effective immediately and he will serve the roughly two years remaining on Fiene's term.

The board also approved Becky Kraus and Hannah Hamburger as part-time teachers for art and social studies, respectively. District Superintendent Stephanie Mulholland said Kraus also teaches part-time at Trico High School and will be teaching at both schools this fall.

The board also approved the employment of Kylie Mueller as district business manager; Janae Yates as SHS secretary and Cindy Troue as Steeleville Elementary School secretary.

All are effective with the 2018-19 school year to replace the retirements of Business manager Cindy Ramsey (38 years), Steeleville Elementary School secretary Deb Uchtman (31 years) and Steeleville High School secretary Jude Rodewald (32 years).

The board voted to keep book rental and fees the same from the previous year for the 2017-18 school year. Book rental for kindergarten through 12th grade is $50. Art at SHS is $30, while driver's education is $150.

All other fees are $20.

"We did not raise any of the fees for next year," Mulholland said. "What we try to do is make sure those fees include any workbook copying costs.

"We felt like we were OK with that for another year."

Mulholland was asked what she had heard about schools opening in the fall, given how the state legislature had not yet sent Senate Bill 1 to Gov. Bruce Rauner's desk by the newspaper's press deadline.

"Up to the point when the budget was passed, I was getting five and six emails a day from professional organizations and since then I've gotten two," she said. "We'll be open and ready to go."

Mulholland was also asked about the progress of the district's summer construction projects, which includes new windows in both buildings.

"High school windows are in," she said. "I'm doubtful that all of the windows will be in at the grade school by the time we start, but there will not be any delay."

ROUNDUP

The following items were approved by the board:

• Title I plan, which consists of federal money between $50,000 and $70,00.

"It varies every year," Mulholland said. "We have one Title I teacher in charge of the Reading Room. Grades K-3 go in for a half hour a day and receive reading instruction for the level they're at."